BABY BLOOD

In June 1991 in northern France, a cheetah arrives by cargo ship from Africa, where it is acquired by a local circus overseen by the abusive Lohman. Before the circus can begin training the cheetah, it is found dead in its cage one night, its body inexplicably burst open. Unbeknownst to Lohman, an ancient serpent-like parasite living in the cheetah has escaped, and it crawls into the uterus of Yanka, a young performer in Lohman's act, while she is sleeping.

One month later, Yanka has escaped the carnival and is squatting in a derelict building in a nearby city. Lohman tracks her there, but Yanka, who is now telepathically communicating with the parasite, and whose body is partly controlled by it, violently murders him with a knife. The parasite urges Yanka to begin drinking blood, which it claims will help it grow and reach birth, at which point Yanka is to release it into the sea, from where it originates. When the parasite directs Yanka to murder a vagrant and drink his blood, she instead unsuccessfully attempts suicide by trying to drown herself in a river.

Some time later, Yanka arrives in Paris and begins working as a waitress, where she catches the eye of Richard, a man who becomes quickly enamored of her. The two begin a romance, as Yanka continues to murder civilians at the parasite's order. When Richard suggests he and Yanka marry and have children, she, under the influence of the parasite, murders him. Rosette, her jealous coworker who is attracted to Richard, arrives at Yanka's apartment and finds Richard's body, causing Yanka to flee.

Six months later, a visibly pregnant Yanka has taken a job as a taxi driver. One night, she is compelled by the parasite to drive over a jogger and feast on his blood. When she begins to sense she is going into labor, Yanka murders several other civilians, and is ordered by the parasite to steal a mobile blood donation van. Yanka steals the vehicle with a blood donor still inside, incapacitating him, and begins to drive toward the ocean. The parasite explains to her that it must retreat to the ocean where it can evolve, and eventually replace humankind in fifty billion years. The donor regains consciousness and attacks Yanka, causing her to crash the van.

Police arrive at the scene and Yanka is rushed by ambulance toward the nearest hospital, but a medic confirms she has already died en route. The parasite, sensing Yanka's body is dying, manages to restart her heart. Yanka returns to life and murders both the medic and the ambulance driver. In the back of the ambulance, Yanka gives birth to a normal-looking baby boy, and is disturbed to find that the telepathic connection the two had during her pregnancy has been severed. Yanka steals another motorist's truck. At a rest area, the parasite kills a hitchhiker while Yanka is trying to get a mechanic's attention and escapes the infant's body, leaving behind its skin.

Yanka abandons the truck and boards a bus of football players headed to Le Havre, which she suspects the parasite has covertly boarded. Yanka tries to warn the passengers who taunt and molest her, only to find moments later that the parasite, revealing its true form, has burrowed through the head of the driver. Yanka intentionally crashes the van, causing it to explode. At dawn, the parasite retreats into the ocean.

Yanka gives birth to a seemingly normal baby boy, but the telepathic connection is broken as the parasite escapes the infant's body, leaving behind its skin. Yanka abandons the child and leaves the scene.

The ending underscores the parasite’s drive for survival and evolution, using Yanka as a vessel before moving on, indifferent to her fate. Yanka’s loss of the telepathic bond leaves her isolated, while the parasite's departure hints at an ongoing cycle of predation and transformation, fulfilling its goal of returning to the ocean and foreshadowing a future beyond human comprehension.